The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-03-24
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT
J. J. zUCCARELLo, EDITOR.
OUR DUTY AS TEACHERS.

Teachers, our business is as dis
tinct and special business as law
or medicine 1t involves peculiar
and characteristic principles. 1t in
cludes phenomena and practices of
its own kind. 1t requires the care
full study aud mastery of these. To
be sure of its simplest processes and
ordinary technicalities one must
patiently investigate its methods
and products II ore so than in any
other business. Farming Is a bust
ness that must be learned, so is
teaching. The time to plant, the
manner of cultivation, the best way
of gathering a crop are facts
which are well mastered only by
those who have spent years in the
practical handling OF crops. The
farmer who would say, Sit makes
little difference what you do with
the ground, so you get something
into it and something out Of 1t,
sometime or other" would be pro-
nounced ignorant, thriftless and
lazy. Such 2 farmer might ask
lawyers, doctors, teachers and
preachers how to manage his farm.
Now why cannot men Of other
professions in every community un-
derstand that teaching is business
of it's own kind just as much as
theirs? Why can they not at al!
times intrust the business OF teach
ing to teachers as they do farming
to farmers, preaching to preachers,
curing to physicians and counsel
ing to lawyers9 We are to blame.
We do not in many instances COM
prehend and appreciate the distinct
course of our own work. We do
not respect ourselves and so lose
the respect OF others.
There are two things that must
be established in the minds of both
teachers and the public or teaching
will never become profession
First, that the public knows moth
ing about teaching and must, there
fore, employ teachers who do; Sec
ond, teachers must respectfully in
sist that they know best how to
teach and manage their schools,
and that the public does not The
public needs instruction in this
matter; we teachers must give it.
In man aging our own affairs in the
school room we must do so with
confident self-respeot and with due
consideration of the feelings Of our
patrons. We should fearlessly
carry GU. our own honest convic-
ton. In thus showing an unswerv
ing confidence in ourselves we will
soon command the respect and con
fdence of our patrons, They viii
see that we know what we are
about and that we do not neeC
their advice or suggestions. They
soon learn to trust us, to depend
upon US, and to feel that they neet
US.
Then, teachers, let US lay i
down as a fundamental. cordia
principal of our profession that WI
will be true to ourselves, Tha
teaching is business which to b.
learned must be faithfully studied
and intelligently practiced. Tha
teachers are specialists and are en-
titled to same confidence and tree
dom usually allowed to men ant
women of other professions. Blu
do you see what this means? 1
means that we must study the bus
mess. We must concentrate upor
the mastery of cur own work, W.
must give it our single and undivid
ed services. Teaching is enough
for ones life work. If we will ad-
here to these principles in oul
practice the public will soon find i
out and learn to appreciate teaching
as an established profession.
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